Eric and Jennifer: Wedding Day

“…so they are no longer two, but one flesh” -Mark 10:8 After a wonderful rehearsal dinner on Friday in Dallas, Eric and Jen were officially married on Saturday night at Highland Park United Methodist church. They were and are a beautiful couple and such an excellent example of what God intended marriage to be. Their declaration of their union was powerful because they focused their marriage on a few key ingredients. Jesus Christ. From the beginning, Eric and Jen have expressed their devotion to God. They chose to invite the Lord to be the initiator and proclaimer of their love for one another. And having their wedding in a church just made sense. The word “church” invokes a lot of different reactions from people, but it’s simply a place for Christians to gather and commit themselves to thanking and praising God for all He has done and will do. The service and minister’s words all gave credit and glory to the Lord. He not only invented marriage but was responsible for bringing Eric and Jen together. Jesus is the very glue that holds any marriage together and especially with Eric and Jen, His countenance and glory are manifested through their love for on another. Family. Of course, eloping is always a less expensive option. But having a private ceremony robs the larger families from getting to be in on the celebration. Almost all of the families represented attended the weekend activities. The Staples, Condons, Masons, Beadles, Guerrieros, Hallums, and other families all journeyed to Dallas. There were almost one hundred people at the rehearsal dinner and several hundred people at the wedding. It was all a beautiful example of the family at work and the baton being passed on to another generation. In a day when more and more people are choosing to live together without being married, it not only avoids the highest level of commitment and love, but it leaves the family unit out of the equation. There is strength in family, both inside and outside of the marriage. Friends. Eric and Jen have such a solid group of friends from their days in Dallas, Austin, Fayetteville, Nashville and other places God has taken them. Their friends came from far and wide to endorse their friends’ union together. But the commitment of their friends goes deeper than the ceremony. They will be there with them through all the seasons of their lives. After all, that’s the purpose of friends. Ecclesiastics 4:10 reminds us of the worth of friends, “For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” Eric and Jen certainly have each other to bear the weight of life, but also solid friends to be with them. May Eric and Jen’s marriage be a light to all they encounter. With Jesus Christ as their source of love, may their agape love deepen between each other. May their devotion to family grow more and more as they begin their own. May their friendships be even more meaningful in their new relationship. May God continue to bless their marriage… …as they begin their union together. By Eric Joseph Staples © www.parentingyourteen101.com